There's a pretty remarkable range of speakers at the $150 price level. That's how much you'll pay for Jawbone's Mini Jambox, a tiny music player that doesn't sound particularly impressive. It's also the cost of Nyne's new Bass Portable Bluetooth Speaker, a speaker that can be fairly described as huge, yet which has all the same functionality. More than a foot wide and half a foot tall, it's made for indoor and outdoor use, with Bluetooth 4.0 for audio streaming, a rechargeable 10 hour battery, and speakerphone capabilities. Bass comes in black or white, and includes four interchangeable plugs with its power supply.

Unlike some speakers that are disappointingly hollow when you pick them up, Bass is substantial. It weighs over 6.5 pounds, and the materials on the exterior—soft-touch plastic and metal—feel premium. The speaker itself is raised about 1.5” off the ground, with leaf-shaped feet on either side holding it up. Seven oversized buttons across the top control the power, volume, phone calls, and playback controls. A handle is built into the back of the speaker, right above the power input, aux port, 1-Amp USB output, and a simple on/off switch. To the left of those, you’ll find a bass port.

Bluetooth pairing with Bass is an expectedly simple process — only one device can be paired with the speaker at a time. Inside, there are two mid-range drivers and a subwoofer, which is what we’d expect for the price. The speaker lives up to its name when it comes to audio performance. Low-end performance is strong and deep, and sure to please those who prefer bass-heavy music. You’ll feel it as well as hear it if you’re sitting close. That’s not to say Nyne skimped on the highs though. They’re plenty respectable considering the lack of dedicated tweeters, reproducing high-end details well. Even at the highest levels—which are very loud, enough to fill a medium-sized room and well-suited for use outdoors—the sound is clear and pleasant. Compared to Braven’s 850 HD, which has a similar speaker arrangement and yet costs twice as much, Bass is superior. Even the speakerphone performance is better, with a caller describing our voice as clearer on Bass.

Nyne surprised us with quite a bit with Bass. We weren’t expecting the speaker to be nearly as good as it is — the audio performance, battery, nice design, and good materials come together to earn the speaker our high recommendation. While portability may be an issue because of the size, the fact that you can take it with you and listen to quality audio for ten hours at a time is a big win. We truly like this speaker. Just beware—if you’re not big into bass, it’s not the one for you.

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